Pentatonix
shows the power of the voice at Agganis

By Maura JohnstonGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

MARCH 17, 2015

The world of contemporary a cappella has broken out of its former college
dining hall confines in a big way over the last few years thanks to
“Glee” and “Pitch Perfect,” not to mention the
distributive power of online video. The five-person a cappella outfit
Pentatonix, which headlined the Agganis Arena on Monday, won the third
season of “The Sing-Off,” NBC’s foray into competitive
a cappella; noted during a brief biographical sketch midway through
the group’s set, that victory was soon followed by being dropped
from its label. But through gumption and a slew of YouTube clips showcasing
their mettle, the group rebuilt, and grew strong enough to headline
big rooms, score a million-selling album, and sell a lot of merch.

Contemporary a cappella,
as put forth by Pentatonix and other groups that crowd the playlists
of WERS’s weekend shows spotlighting the genre, acts as a sort
of midway point between musical theater and hip-hop. Groups arrange
pop hits to spotlight brassy singing and prodigious vocal technique,
as well as a healthy amount of swagger. On Monday night, Pentatonix
sprinted through the charts, with a heavy bent toward artists often
described as being able to “really sing!” by people wary
of admitting affection for top-40 hits: Beyoncé, Sam Smith, Ariana
Grande. The Rihanna/Kanye West/Paul McCartney campfire sing-along “FourFiveSeconds,”
during which the quintet hopped into the crowd to commune with the extremely
excited showgoers, was also on the docket, as was just enough of Mark
Ronson and Bruno Mars’s space jam “Uptown Funk!” to
get the crowd popping.

At times, though, all the arrangement-futzing and quick forays into
other artists’ music hid the humanity behind Pentatonix’s
individual voices. “Evolution of Music,” a trip through
songcraft from Gregorian chant to “Call Me Maybe,” might
have been huge on YouTube, but its posturing was a bit wearying live.
On the other hand, “Julie-O,” which showcased member Kevin
Olusola’s ability to play cello and beatbox simultaneously, was
one of the night’s best marriages of pure talent and individual
artistry.

The show’s most satisfying moment came at the end, when Pentatonix
abandoned their mikes and performed the title track of its first platinum
album to a nearly silent arena. The members’ voices melded so
well, it almost didn’t even matter that the album in question
was “That’s Christmas to Me.” On the cusp of a long-awaited
spring, the fact that their voices could conjure the spirit of December
and not inspire groaning, but reverent silence that gave way to wild
applause, signaled the unique, and sometimes surprising, power of the
human voice.